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Making Connections

The Rockwood Library Newsletter - November 2018

MakingConnectionsThe Rockwood Library Newsletter - November 2018

Inquire: AASL Shared Foundation #1

The Rockwood librarians are embracing the new American Association of School Librarians (AASL) National School Library Standards, which were released in November of 2017. These standards are built around six shared foundations: Inquire, Include, Collaborate, Curate, Explore, and Engage. In this month's Making Connections, we start by highlighting four examples of how Rockwood librarians implement the Inquire foundation into their every day practice. The standards define Inquire as "[building] new knowledge by inquiring, thinking critically, identifying problems, and developing strategies for solving problems." You can learn more about the AASL Standards by clicking here.

Identifying Truth Through Primary Sources

During a recent lesson with librarian Brooke Schaub, fourth and fifth grade students at Wild Horse investigated primary sources about Harry Houdini. After listening to The Houdini Box, a historical fiction book about the great magician, the students used their knowledge of the primary sources to figure out what information in the book was true. "Students had to develop a strategy for using the primary sources to check the information in the book, which meant thinking critically," Schaub said. She went on to say that many students were so excited about their new learning, they checked out biographies so they could learn even more.
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Biome Projects

Environmental Science students at Marquette High School recently completed biome projects. Working in small groups, students used a variety of information resources to research a particular biome, identifying a problem and formulating a possible solution. Then, they created a presentation with visual aids (posters, slides, or videos) to share background information, the problem, and their proposed solution with their classmates. As groups presented, their peers provided constructive feedback.


Science teacher Eric Schweain and librarian Lee Mitchell collaborated on the inquiry-based assignment.

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World History Inquiry

World history students in Erik Graham's classes at Rockwood Summit have visited the library frequently in recent weeks as they work on an open-ended inquiry project. With guidance and support from Graham and librarians Elaine McKenna and Margaret Sullivan, each student has been researching a compelling question of his or her choice related to one of six time periods being studied this semester. Students not only choose their topic, but also choose how to present the information they learn.


Students like having choice because it allows them to focus on topics of interest. For instance, Johanna's compelling question is "How did Michelangelo's paintings influence the Renaissance?" She plans to create an infographic to share her learning.

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Young Problem-solvers

Kindergarten students at Westridge love going to the library every week to see librarian Anne Reed and take part in literature-based makerspace & inquiry activities. For example, after reading Hooray for Hat by Brian Won, each student made a hat out of a paper plate to wear in a hat parade. Similarly, the book Creepy Carrots by Aaron Reynolds provided inspiration for creating structures to keep Jasper Rabbit from reaching the carrots.


Each of these activities required students to create a product they had never made before, which allowed them to develop grit as they engaged in inquiry.

More Great Lessons, Activities, and Events

Of course, many other activities took place in Rockwood libraries this month. They include high school art classes creating children's stories, Veterans Day lessons, a program to encourage fourth and fifth graders to love reading, and a Halloween-themed scavenger hunt. Read on for details.

Tweet-sized Children's Stories

Students in Art Fundamentals created clever tweet-sized children’s stories and illustrated them in detail using a medium of their choice. Lafayette librarian, Jane Lingafelter, collaborated with art teacher, Lyubov Briginets, to help students draft a story and then revise and edit it into a tweet-sized version. Students then studied the format of children’s book illustrations. After illustrating their own story, students inserted their image into a Google drawing, positioning the text and including a hashtag. Briginets said, “This was an excellent example of joining two different forms of communication: visual and written. Students were engaged and able to see their art project move further by including the story. We enjoyed working in the welcoming atmosphere of the library.”

Veterans Day Celebrations

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Thanking Veterans

Lafaytette librarians Nichole Ballard-Long and Jane Lingafelter helped Freshman Seminar students do a bit of service this month. After practice utilizing Gmail and writing emails to former teachers, students took their letter-writing skills to the next level by creating hand-written notes of thanks to veterans who will visit Washington, D.C. as a part of the Honor Flight program. The notes will be delivered to veterans of WWII, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War upon their return in a "Mail Call" style delivery.


Student Taylor said," I enjoyed writing an email to my former teacher and making cards for veterans because I hope that it makes them feel good about themselves and lights up their day."

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WWI: Poetry & History

Rockwood Summit social studies teachers Laura Butler and Jason Miller, along with student teacher John Heuer, recently concluded their World War I units with a lesson in the library. Librarian Margaret Sullivan led the students through an analysis and discussion of the WWI poem "In Flanders Fields." Although the poem was written in 1915, it is frequently read at Veterans Day ceremonies today. Aaddia, one of Ms. Butler's students, said, "I didn't know that poppies were a symbol of World War I. Learning about that was really interesting." Another student, London, added, "The lesson helped us understand how people felt during WWI."
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Veterans Day Display

Selvidge librarian Jim Miller created a special display for Veterans Day. In addition to showcasing books about veterans and U.S. military history, he invited staff members to bring in photographs of veterans in their families, and he included the photos in the display. Miller reports the display was popular with students, especially those who are interested in war stories. "They like having the war books in a prominent spot where they can get their hands on them easily," Miller explained.

BookTalk at Bowles

The BookTalk program at Bowles Elementary is again running strong! BookTalk is a voluntary program for fourth and fifth grade students run by Lori Countryman, the librarian at Bowles.


BookTalk was developed over twenty years ago to help increase time spent reading for pleasure, increase reading achievement, build vocabulary, help children maintain their early interest in books by making a variety of books/genres available to them as they mature and their interests change. The program utilizes community resources including as parents, the public library, and community members to build a love of reading in students. Each BookTalk group consists of 5-8 students and 2-4 adult leaders (parents, grandparents, and staff members). The groups meet monthly during their lunch; they discuss a book from a different genre each month and enjoy a fast food lunch. BookTalk creates the opportunity for students to interact around books with their peers and adults in order for them to learn that reading can be entertaining, enjoyable, sociable, and a worthwhile activity.


Countryman is excited to report that they have sixty-nine students (78% of all fourth and fifth graders) and thirty adult leaders participating this year!

Trick-or-Treat Scavenger Hunt

Classes at RSMS explored the Library and its resources by participating in a trick-or-treat scavenger hunt at the end of October. Students split into teams and used Destiny, the library catalog, to complete the assignment, which required them to collaborate to solve problems and find solutions. Librarian Rachel Rankins created the activity. She said it was a great way for students to learn how to work together, do research, and use Destiny.
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Margaret Sullivan, Rockwood Lead Librarian

Email: sullivanmargaret@rsdmo.org
Website: https://goo.gl/nfCm3X
Phone: 636-891-6842
Twitter: @mm_sullivan